Desktop devices, such as IP phones, thin clients, PCs/laptops often need onerous configuration in order to be associated with each other. For example, in order for an IP phone on a user's desk to be associated with a communication application running on a desktop PC/laptop on the same desk, the user or an administrator often needs to configure the application with the address or DN of the phone, the address of the phone's call controller, and other details. The user may likewise need to manually enter the IP address and other details of the PC into the phone. This is a complex process for the typical user, and is also both time consuming and error prone.
Alternatively, the same information may be configured into a centralized database, an application file or similar. This leads to a large ongoing administrative effort, especially in large systems, to keep data up to date as it changes over time.
Additionally, some configuration items such as IP addresses may change occasionally, causing the association to fail and the application to not work correctly. This leads to a further ongoing data maintenance issue, and/or to occasional application failures followed by re-doing the configuration.
US Patent Application US2007/0171098 discloses a system whereby associations may occur automatically via Ethernet links and IP addresses, however this solution suffers the same disadvantages as manual associations using IP addresses: IP addresses may change occasionally, causing the association to fail and applications to not work correctly. In addition, as the system disclosed in US2007/0171098 performs an association based on a high level protocol (i.e. internet protocol), associations are possible only for devices which use that protocol. Hence, the system of US2007/0171098 lacks generality and is unable to cope with devices using other protocols to create arbitrary types of associations.
In cases where mobility is involved, the relationship between co-located devices is not long term (e.g. a user may bring a laptop to a conference room or telecommuting site, and wish to make temporary use of the desktop facilities such as the IP phone either alone or in relation to laptop-based application(s)). The configuration would need to be done again each time the user moves, and would need to be un-done at the end of a session so that resources can be reclaimed and future users cannot access the previous user's information. Again, this process is quite onerous for the end user, and error prone. Failing to log off could have security considerations.